The Way Things Were
by ChibiJaime
Summary: Sally was quite vague on why she came to Radiator Springs... but what sort of life could a Porsche have had to make her want to move to the middle of nowhere? Rated for mild language. PART ONE UP


_**--The Way Things Were--  
**__-Part One - Burning Bridges-_

"I'm tired of this, Samuel! And you're just encouraging her!"

"If she wants to go into law, Bonnie, I'm not stopping her. I don't understand why you have such a problem with that profession. Why did you marry me if you hate lawyers so much?"

"She's _twelve_! She doesn't know what she wants! And I _married _you because I thought you had a lick of sense under your hood!"

It wasn't like they didn't fight. This was only the most recent in a long series of arguments that, every time, grew more and more bitter. Bonnie Carrera had a tendancy to start them, and though her husband Samuel tried to stay out of her way, she always managed to force him into the verbal brawls, never much minding whether or not their young daughter was watching.

Which this time, she was. Sitting in the hallway, staring around the corner at the two Porsches as they yelled at one another. At last, with one final shout and an overturned lamp, the little red Porsche turned and bolted from the condo, leaving her blue-green husband behind.

He sighed, moving to start cleaning up the broken glass when a noise from the hall caught his attention. Turning slightly, his expression fell at finding his young daughter, sitting there trembling in the hall, tears in her eyes, her breathing shaky and nervous.

Instantly, he pulled over to her, nudging his fender up against hers. "Shh. I'm so sorry, Sally, that never should've happened... especially not in front of you. Shhh, shh, it's okay..."

The little pale blue Porsche shivered, nudging up against her father as she closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want to think about her parents fighting, or the long periods of silence that always followed the arguments. She just wanted to forget. Not that forgetting was ever easy, but her father was always a safe place in these times, staying protectively close to his daughter and never once letting her be too hard on herself.

He would have to talk to Bonnie about this. He didn't want Sally to think she was the reason this marriage was falling apart, and at the rate his rather estranged wife was going, she certainly wasn't doing all that great a job showing such a sentiment. Sighing, he gave his girl another nudge, smiling a bit at her. "Hey... there you go. It's okay. Come on. Why don't you and me go out for dinner tonight? We'll go to your favorite place for antifreeze pops after, and then you and me can talk, okay? We can even look at law schools, if you want."

"Are you sure that's okay?" the girl mumbled. "Mom won't get mad?"

Samuel couldn't help but give a rueful smile, but through it, he smiled just the same. "If she gets mad, honey, I'll talk to her. If you want to go to law school, you can go to law school. You can do whatever you want."

And that time, the girl's smile was genuine.

* * *

Later that week at work, Samuel Carrera looked a mess. His partner at the firm, a 1989 Aston Martin V8 named Evan Grenville, was giving him a look out of the corner of his eye, and while he really didn't want to discuss the issue...

"Hey, Sam. You're looking a mess, there, buddy... wake up on the wrong side of that satan spouse of yours?" He gave a chuckle... of course, Evan thought he was only making a joke. "The missus was apalled at her manners, you know. Just because Jenny's not an Aston Martin... you'd think my kids were the scum of the earth! How'd you wind up with that girl?"

Somewhat flattened by the further mention of his estranged wife, Samuel gave a sigh, glancing at his college friend. "Bad luck. And it's not for much longer, either... the divorce papers were sitting on the desk in my office when I got here this morning."

At that revelation, Evan winced. "Ooh... _really _bad luck." He frowned. "Sam... look, I know I pick on you about Bonnie, but... hell, man, you two've got a little girl. Sally's... who's she gonna stay with?"

"Well, I certainly don't want her to stay with her mother," Samuel shot back, bristling slightly as his tailfin rose in irritation. "That last fight I had with her, she was screaming that Sally didn't know what she wanted... just because she wants to go to law school, she was ripping into her own daughter!"

Evan shook his front with a sigh of dismay, shrugging on his tires. "I'll tell you what, Sam, it's better for you to get away from Bonnie. And hey... if you need a second opinion on any of the consulting, I'm your car. You'll probably get to keep the place here in Aberdeen. She'll get the vacation condo in Newport, no doubt. She never wanted to move from there in the first place."

"So long as I can take care of Sally, that's all that matters. I guess we'll see when the day rolls around..."

"Good luck, Sam. You'll need it."

* * *

The end of the day saw Sally rolling out from the school with the biggest false smile she could muster in the face of her current circumstances. It was the sight of her father waiting pensively in front of the school, however, that startled her. Quipping a quick goodbye to her friends, she headed over to him, nuzzling up against his side before falling into pace behind them as they headed off, her caution lights on to indicate she was a minor following a parent. "Hi, Daddy... why'd you pick me up? Usually Mom does."

"Your mom headed back to your Gramma Victoria's in Oregon, angel." Samuel paused there, sighing as he turned off. "Where would you like to eat tonight? We could go to that new place up by the estate..."

"Why'd Mom go to Newport?"

At that, Samuel bit his lip. "...honey, you've..." He sighed. "...sweetheart, your mom and I... we're getting a divorce."

Sally started, but maintained speed to stay near her father's bumper. "A divorce, why?"

"Well..." Samuel paused, trying to think of what to tell her. It was the hardest thing in the world, to explain to a child exactly why their mother suddenly wanted to up and leave. "...your mother just doesn't want to stay with me, sweetheart. You've seen how your mom and I fight all the time... I didn't think that was good for you. And she didn't agree and...well, she's in Newport now."

The little Porsche gave a weak nod, gaze downcast. "...I'm not really hungry, Daddy..."

Samuel bit his lip. He'd been afraid of this. "Now, don't you blame yourself, sweetheart. Come on... we'll go to that new place up by the estate and we'll talk. Okay?"

This time, there was no answer.

* * *

The process of the divorce was more of a fiasco than an actual legal proceeding compared to other cases Samuel had attourneyed. Even with Evan helping him out, it was like pulling teeth just to get anything done. Their possessions were halved. As Evan had suspected, Bonnie got the summer condo in Newport, Oregon, while Samuel remained in possession of the estate in Aberdeen, Washington. A variety of items were split, stocks and bonds, monetary value, et cetera... and finally, it all came down to Sally.

Both parents presented their case, but Judge Carter, a stately 1946 Chevrolet Fleetline 2D Aero Sedan, was not a fool by any stretch of the imagination. He had noticed how uncomfortable the girl looked, and had called a recess for one purpose: he wanted to talk to Sally himself.

"Now, don't worry, angel. Judge Carter is very nice. I've worked many cases where he's presided. He just wants to ask you a few questions," Samuel stated softly, leading his daughter through the winding halls of the enormous courthouse until they reached the judge's office. "Just go in, answer him honestly, and you'll be all done. I'll wait for you out here."

The girl nodded somewhat weakly, still a bit nervous, even when she scooted inside after knocking. The old judge gave her a gentle smile. "Well! Hello there, sweety. Hm." He chuckled. "Let me guess... sixteen?"

Sally couldn't help but smile a little. "I'm twelve."

"Twelve!" Judge Carter mocked looking surprised. "Why, I can hardly believe that." He rolled around to face the girl, watching her expression carefully. "Sally, I wanted you to come in here so I could ask you a very important question. I know this can be very hard on a girl your age and I want you to be very honest. Part of what your parents are dealing over is custody of you. I want to know who you would rather live with."

Here, Sally paused, chewing slightly on her lip. Who she wanted to stay with? Well... she _wanted _to stay with her father, but then her mother would get mad...

...but she did not want to deal with the yelling anymore. "I want to stay with Daddy."

"Then that's who you'll stay with. Thank you, Sally... you've been very helpful."

* * *

When the court was called back into session, both Bonnie and Samuel waiting attentively for the last bit of information in the divorce.

"In light of speaking with Sally concerning the situation," Judge Carter began, "I have decided to award custody of the daughter to Samuel Carrera. The mother, Bonnie Ferdinand, will have weekend visitation, half of the summer, a period of time during each major holiday, and will be required to pay a state determined child support sum monthly to Samuel Carrera." He honked his horn once. "This court finalizes this divorce preceeding. Case dismissed."

Bonnie bristled across the room, but for the first time in a long time, Samuel Carrera did not care. He smiled, pulling around to nuzzle his daughter's side slightly, not caring anymore if his ex-wife was watching or scowling.

Evan chuckled, giving his friend a nudge to the side with a tire.

Grenville & Carrera still hadn't lost a case.

_--End of Part One--_


End file.
